NOTES ON ESSICX DIM, ICC T AND FOLK I.ORK. 8l 



selves, or at least traditions of such objects is plain from sundry 

 passages in their writings. Tacitus speaks of divination by means 

 of rods. But the Middle Ages was the date of the full development 

 of this superstition. The first notice of its use among the late 

 writers is in the " Testamentum Novum " of Basil Valentine, a Bene- 

 dictine monk of the fifteenth century. He says that there are 

 seven names by which this rod is known. "J'o its excellences, under 

 each title, he devotes a chapter of each book. The names are 

 " Divine Rod," " Shining Rod," " Leaping Rod," " Transcendent 

 Rod," "Trembling Rod," " Dipping Rod," and "Superior Rod." 

 The most general name is that by which it is known to us, viz., 

 " The Divining Rod," but in Germany it is known as the " Wimschel 

 Ruthe," and in France as the "Baguette Divinatoire." It is also 

 known as the " Virgula Divina." We find no mention made of the 

 "Virgula" in any author before the eleventh century, but from that 

 time it has been in frequent uss, and the notion still largely prevails 

 in England of a twig of hazel's tendency to turn to a vein of lead 

 ore, a seam or stratum of coal, water, etc. In the " Living 

 Library," 162 1, we read " that no man can tell why forked sticks of 

 hazel or some other wood (but hazel in preference) are fit to show 

 the places where theveines of gold or silver are. The stick bending 

 itself in the places at the bottome where the same veines are." 



From a paper in Tulloch's " Philosophical Magazine," written by 

 W. Phillips (vol. xiii., page 309), it appears that the Divining-rod 

 was advocated by De Thouvenal in France in the eighteenth 

 century ; and soon after in our own country by a philosopher of 

 unimpeachable character, Mr. Cookworthy, of Plymouth. This is 

 mentioned in Sir Thos. Browne's works, vol. ii., page 97 ; also in 

 :"The (ientleman's Magazine," 1752 (page 77); and in "The 

 Agricultural Survey of the County of Somerset," 1797 ; in "The 

 '')uarterly Review" for March, 1S20; in " The Autobiography of 

 Henrick Zschokke," published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall, 1845 ; 

 jjeveral records are also given in " The Spiritual Magazine " for 

 !VIarch and .\pril, 1862, and May and June, 1868. 



In " The Shepherds' Kalendar or the Citizen's and Country- 

 nan's Companion," there is a receipt given to make the " Mosaic 

 ivand to find hid treasure " without the intervention of a human 

 operator : 



" Cut a hazel wand forked at the upper end like a Y- l^eel off 

 he rind and dry it in a moderate heat ; then steep it in the juice of 



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